Page:Terræ-filius- or, the Secret History of the University of Oxford.djvu/57

 that it was a long coure of raking, drinking, whoring, and gaming, that brought him to that Neceity; is he therefore to be pitied? is he therefore to be defended?

Methinks the headhip of a college, with a good living tack'd to it, (which practice I hall hereafter conider) and two or three other preferments hould be enough to make an humble ucceor of the apotles, a meek follower of Jeus Chrit eay in the world, and to keep him decent and leek enough to ecape contempt, without running over head and ears in debt, and plundering publick coffers to keep himelf out of gaol; epecially, if to all thee we add a large paternal inheritance, which this unfortunate gentleman actually had.

For my part, I could be content to live honetly, and erve my country, for a quarter of that encouragement.

But I would ask thee indulgent vindicators of fraud and corruption, whether, uppoing the ame neceities, and the ame misfortunes, every of a college, or every  has not an equal right to pay his private debts with the publick money he is intruted with; and, whether the ame indulgence, and the ame compaion is not due to one as well as another: and then, if it be o, my next quetion is, whether our Alma Mater be not in a hopeful way of thriving, and her numerous family of children being brought up, under uch guardians and trutees.

It has of late, I confes, been very indutriouly given out by the friends of this reverend gentleman, that he has made up this matter, and paid the debt; which I very much doubt, and not without very good reaons: nay, were it publickly declared by academical authority, that they have received full atisfaction therein, I hould be induc'd to look upon it as a modet artifice to conceal from the world